Pad retainer for evaporative coolers



Aug. 26, 1952 E- SHAPlRO 2,608,396

PAD RETAINER FOR EVAPORATIVE COOLERS Filed April 15, 1950 57m/Omo I N VEN TOR.

-A'TTORNEY Patented Aug. 264, 1952 2,608,395 aan RETAINER Foa Evsronn'rlvl:

COOLERS Eli Shapiro, Dallas, Tex., assigner to Dearborn Stove Company, Dallas, Tex.

Application April 15, 1950, Serial No. 156,139

(Cl. E61-97) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to evaporative coolers and moreparticularlyto evaporative coolers provided with pads of fibrous material through which air is drawn to be cooled.

This application is a continuation in part of applicants application, Serial No.`144,802, iiled Februaryl', 195o, new Pat. No. 2,594,688, issued April 29, 1952.

In many evaporative coolers the air whose temperature is to be lowered is drawn through moistened pads of brous material in order that it be cooled by the evaporation of the water which covers the individual iibers of the pad. The moistened fibers of the pad afford a very large surface area from which evaporation may take place-` The brous material of the pad, however, must be uniformly distributed throughout the pads in order not to impede the passage ofthe yair to a degree greater than is absolutely necessary and also to ensure that all air drawn through the fibrous material is exposed to the cooling action of evaporation of the moistened surfaces of the ibers. If the brous material of the pads sags, large gaps may be opened in the pads which will permit the passage of the air without subjecting it to the cooling effects of evaporation. If the` fibrous material of the pads sags. some portions of the pads will be compressed and the rate of flow of air through these portions will be decreased. For optimum results, the pads of fibrous material must be so supported that the fibrous material is held firmly in place and not allowed to sag or compact. At the same time, the supporting means must allow the fibrous material to be suiciently loose that the passage of air is not impeded to a greater degree than is necessary and that the greatest possible moistened surface is provided from which evaporation may take place.

Accordingly, it isan object of the invention to provide a new and improved evaporative cooler.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved evaporative cooler having pads of fibrous material. Y

It is another object of the invention to provide new `and improved means for supporting pads of fibrous material.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved cooler having pads of fibrous material which are supported to prevent sagging and compacting.

It is still another object of the invention to provide readily demountable supporting means forpads of fibrous material.

. Briefly stated, the new and improved" evaporative cooler is provided'with pads Vof brous material which are held inplace` adjacent to and abutting the louvered sides of the evaporative cooler. The pads are held and supported by means of channel shaped members which are demountably secured parallel to the sides of the cooler. The forward `edges of the sides of each of the channel members are provided with teeth which pierce the fibrous `material of the pads to hold thel fibrous V.material against sagging and compacting. l

lFor a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the I appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment ofthe invention,4 some parts of the evaporative cooler not being shown;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of one side of the evaporative cooler illustrated in Figure 1 showing the pad supporting means; I

Figure 3 is an end view of the 4upper end of the supporting means shown in Figure 5;

Figure 4 is an end view of the Vlower end of the supporting means shown in Figure 5; and,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of `one of the channel members` which supports the `pads of iibrous material.

Referring now to the drawing, the evaporative cooler I0 is provided with a top Il and a bottom pan I 2 whichrare rigidly secured to a wall member I3 by any conventional means such as screws I4. `Wall member I3 forms three sides of the cooler I0, only one side I5 being visible in Figure 1. Wall member I3 is provided with louvers IB through which air is drawn into the interior of the cooler I0. The lower end of wall member I3 is bent inwardly at right angles to form flanges I1 which are spaced from each other by slots it. Flanges I1 form a shelf on which rest the lower edges of the fibrous material I9. A water trough 20 is secured to the upper edge of wall member I3 and extends along the three sides of the cooler formed by wall member I3.

Water trough 20 and flanges `I'I `are provided with slots 2| and 22, respectively, which receive tongues 23 and 24, respectively, of the inner channel members 25. Inner channel members Y 25 have side portions 26 and 21 which are conl and 32 of sides 26 and'21,'.respectively, extend perpen"dicularlyv from web`2`8 an'd `contact the upper side of a flange I1 when the channel member 25 is disposed in its operative position in cooler l0. It is apparent that tongues 23 and 24 are extensions of web 28. Tongue 24 is bent at an angle away from sides 25 and 2 1 for a purpose which will be described below. The edges of sides 26 and 21 are provided with teeth 33 and 34, respectively. VIt will be noted that teeth 33 are disposed in staggered relation to teeth 34 so that when a channel member 25 is in operaive position, the teeth 33 and 34 will not tend to form a gap in the fibrous material I9 as would be more probable if teeth 33 coincided in vertical positions with teeth 34.

Outer channel members` 35, one of which is shown in Figure 2, are secured to the inner side of wall member I3 by any conventional means, such as spot welding, Outer channel members 35 are similar to inner channel members 25, having staggered teeth 36 and 31, but are not provided with tongues such as tongues 23 and 24 of the channel members 25.

rEhe process of installing or removing the pads of fibrous material will readily be apparent. The

pad or pads of fibrous material lgare placed `against the three sides formed by wall-member I3. 1n this stepthe teethj35 and 31 of `outer channel membersS'-pierce, and extend into, the fibrous material i9. Between each outer channel member 35, an inner channel member 25 is then :mounted by inserting tongue 23 ina slot 2l in trough 2i) and then inserting tongue 24 in a slot 122 ina flange i1. The tongue 24 can be inserted in slot 22 by depressing the flange l1 until tongue 243 slips into slot 22. Channel member 25 is then held rigidly between trough 2t and flange I1. The fibrous material is compressed between channel members 25 and 35 and exerts a resilient force which locks tongue 25 in slot 22, said tongue 24 is bent at' an angle to the lower side of the iiange l1. When it is desired to remove the pads of fibrous material l5, each ilange l1 is depressed to allow the tongue 24 of the associated inner channel member 25 to be removed from slot 22. Tongue 23 can then be slid out from slot 2| and the channel member 25 removed from cooler I3. Fibrous material I9 can then be easily removed since only the outer channel'member 35 will be maintaining it in place.

As can be readily seen in Figure 2,teeth 33, 3ft, 36 and 31 are staggered when inner channel members 25 are in their operative positions. rI'his will minimize any tendency of these teeth to form holes or gaps inthe pads of fibrous material i9. The'pads of fibrous material IS ,will be held firmly in place between channel members 25 and and between trough and flanges l1 to preclude sagging and compacting of fibrous material I9.

Water trough 2G is provided with a plurality of holes 38, one of which is shown in Figure 2, which allow the water in trough to drain by gravity and moisten the fibrous material I9. A blower, not shown, is mounted in the open side cf the cooler iii and draws air into the interior of cooler lil through louvers I6 and fibrous material I9. The-blower then expels the air from the interior of cooler Hl into the space which it is desired to cool. The cooler IU illustrated in Figure 10 is adapted to be placed in a window and fastened to the sash of the window by means of the angle 39 which is secured to top Il. It will be evident that louvers i5 will communicate with the outside atmosphere and that the, outdoor air drawn through louvers; l S will be cooled by-evapo- 4 ration of the water in the brous material I3 in its passage through the brous material I9.

Tongues 23 have been shown as disposed in slots 2i in trough 23. Tongues 23, however, could be inserted in similar slots provided in any structure located above the pads of fibrous material I9. All parts of the water cooler with the exception of the pads may be formed of sheet metal. The pads may be formed of mineral, plant, cr animal fiber.

While applicant has shown and described a preferred embodiment of his invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention, it is therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and rality of spaced and apertured flanges extending inwardly and substantially perpendicularly:V from said wall member; a trough secured to said wall member above and in spaced relation to said flanges and having adjacent one upper' edge a plurality of longitudinally spaced slots; a plurality of channel membersv defining outer pad retaining means rigidly secured to said wall member intermediate said trough and said flanges; a plurality of channel members confronting said first channel members and defining inner pad retaining means, each of saidv inner pad retaining means having an extension on itsA upperl end entering a selected one of the plurality of slots in said trough and an extension on its lower end entering a selected aperture in one of said ilanges.

2. In en evaporative cooler: aV wall member provided with aplurality or" openings, said wall member having a lower end provided with a plurality of spaced flanges extending inwardly and substantially perpendicularly from said. .wall member, said flanges having a series of longitudinally spaced slots therein, a trough secured to said wall member above and in spaced relation.

to said anges and having longitudinally spaced slots in its inner edge in vertical'alignment with the slots of said anges, a plurality of channel members having serrated parallel flanges .and defining outer pad retaining means rigidly secured to Said wall member intermediate said spaced anges and said trough; a plurality of channel members having serrated parallel anges and defining inner pad retaining means, each 0f said inner pad retaining means having an extended upper end engaging a slot in said trough, andan extended lower end entering an aligned slot in one of said flanges; .and a pad of brous material between said inner pad retaining means and said outer pad retaining means, said pad having a lower edge resting onthe. flanges of said wall members and an upperedge abutting said trough and sustained throughout its area by the serrated flanges of said inner and outer pad retaining means. i i

3. In combination: :a member provided with a plurality of openings; a plurality of spaced flanges extending inwardly of said member and forming a slotted lower shelf, each of said flanges being provided with a slot; a plurality of vertically disposed inner pad retaining means, each of said pad retaining means comprising a channel member having an upper end provided with a substantially straight tongue and a lower end provided with an inwardly bent tongue; tongue engaging means disposed above said anges, said tongue engaging means being provided with a plurality of slots, each of said channel members having its straight tongue secured in one of said slots of said tongue engaging means and its bent tongue engaging in the slot of one of said flanges, and -a plurality of vertically disposed outer pad retaining means secured to said rst mentioned member intermediate said flanges and said tongue engaging means, said outer pad retaining means being staggered with respect to and in confronting relation to said inner pad retaining means.

4. The device of claim 1, said channel members of said inner pad retaining means each comprising a pair of parallel sides, a web perpendicularto and connecting said sides, each of said sides. having an edge provided with a plurality of spaced teeth,

the',l teeth of one of said sides being disposed in staggered relation to the teeth of the outer of said sides, anormally straight tongue member extending from one end of said pad retaining means, and a normally bent tongue extending from the other end of said pad retaining means.

ELI SHAPIRO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,137,905 Church et al. Nov. 22, 1938 2,160,003 Slayter etal May 30, 1939 2,237,497 Munford Apr. 81, 1941 2,296,155 Feinberg Sept. 15, 1942 2,404,47 9 Essick July 23, 1946 2,561,592 Palmer July 24, 1951 

